November 30, 2005

Stepping on the Scale May Help Fight Weight Gain

By | November 30, 2005

Recent Cornell research conducted by Prof. David Levitsky, nutritional sciences, and his research team scrutinizes the infamous phenomenon of gaining weight during the first year in college – “the freshman 15” – and suggests that tracking one’s weight daily may be an effective measure for bucking the trend.

Levitsky’s research on first-year college student weight gain started somewhat by chance.

“A couple years ago, one of my students wanted to do his honors thesis on the ‘freshman 15,'” Levitsky said.

Levitsky tried to find something on the topic in scientific databases and recalls how little substantial research was available. The results of the students’ study indicated that Cornell students gained an average of six to seven pounds in their first semester. Levitsky became interested in what sort of laboratory work could be done to discover effective weight-gain prevention methods.

At the start of their first semester at Cornell, female students participating in the recently-completed study stepped on the scale. At the end of the semester, everyone weighed in for a final time. Those who participated in the “treatment” of daily weighing and feedback had not gained any weight, while the control group that ceased contact with researchers throughout the semester had gained an average of seven pounds in the first phase of the study and more than four in the second phase.

Levitsky remembers how bold the results of the experiment were: “[The treatment] was so successful that the first time we did it, I didn’t believe it. We had to do it again.”

For the treatment group, Levitsky and his researches developed a feedback method called the Tissue Monitoring System, which estimates changes in body tissue from a series of daily weight measures. After e-mailing in their weights every morning, girls were sent a weekly response email, either in the form of tissue mass graphs or number of calories they needed to shave off daily in order to maintain their original weight.

“I was trained as a behaviorist,” Levitsky explained. “If you get an indicator of your blood pressure, you control your blood pressure. It seemed there could be a corresponding situation with body weight.”

He likened the design of the experiment to bio-feedback. He does not think research thus far has established the exact source of the effectiveness of the experiment. Whether it was simply stepping on a scale each morning, having to continuously report one’s body weight to another or receiving feedback on how to adjust, the success of the experiment cannot yet be pinpointed to a certain cause.

Levitsky acknowledges that common advice from dietician and other health professionals instructs weight-conscious individuals to stay away from constantly weighing themselves. Reasons range from being simply a discouraging, uninspiring endeavor, to risking the development of a weight-obsessive self-image that can lead to serious eating disorders.

However, girls in this experiment were allowed to stop at anytime for any reason, and none chose to do so. When asked what it was like to weigh themselves daily, they responded neither negatively nor positively. Levitsky suggested that perhaps their came from considering the task merely part of the experiment. The average weight of the females in the group was basically that of the general average.

Naturally, not all Cornellians are in support of trying this tactic of weight control. Anything from personal discomfort to philosophical views could be grounds for steering clear of a morning weigh.

Lauren Allen ’08, when asked whether she’d like to give it a try, said, “No, I wouldn’t want to. I feel as thought I would end up reducing myself to a number. It would probably have a negative influence on my confidence.”

Others see no special harm in this method of controlling one’s weight.

Jesse Prager ’08 said, “I don’t think it would make my feel more weight conscious than I am now.” And in regards to those participating in the experiment, he considered it “a really cool way for freshmen to be aware of how their daily habits affect their health.”

Why only female subjects? Freshmen of both genders are prone to gain weight after arriving at college, and in earlier experiments, Levitsky used male and female subjects, but he admitted recent experiments are women-only because women “make better subjects.”

They were more likely to follow instructions and keep up with the regiment.

A current study being conducted by Levitsky and his research team has taken this method and applied it to a goal of very slow, permanent weight loss for overweight people. Overweight post-graduate volunteer subjects use daily weighing and weekly feedback to move towards losing half a pound per week, until they have reached goals of losing up to one tenth of their original bodyweights and then maintaining their goal body weight.

Levitsky emphasizes that the point of daily weighing is not to become fixated on exact daily weights, which are always subject to fluctuation, but rather to make a record so that one can watch the direction of the trend of one’s weight over a period of time.

The study’s findings will be published in 2006 in The International Journal of Obesity.

Related

ByDecember 1, 2005

As the semester comes to a close, The Sun decided to take a look at the whereabouts of Cornell’s previous leadership. Former President Jeffery S. Lehman ’77 is keeping himself busy with several different projects operating out of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. and working on the Advisory Board for the Center of Law and Security at New York University.
The Sun: Your project is entitled, “Multilateral Cooperation among Transnational Research Universities.” What is that?
JL: It’s about the structural impediments to the things that make ideas different to universities across borders.
The Sun: What else are you working on?

ByDecember 1, 2005

During the course of this year, Cornell University’s Homer C. Thompson’s Farm in Freeville, N.Y. helped to relieve the hunger of many local citizens by donating 81 tons of produce to the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. The mission of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier is to help feed needy families throughout the Southern Tier of New York by distributing food through innovative programs. Cornell’s farm in Freeville worked with the program to help local citizens in need by donating 163,000 pounds of melons, potatoes, dry beans, green beans, squash, sweet corn, beets, cabbage pumpkins, and plums. According to Marvin Pritts, chair of Cornell’s horticulture department, many of the vegetables would have been composted or plowed under if it were not for the work of the farm crew and department members. Pritts added that the program not only helped to alleviate hunger but also raised awareness of local problems and health issues by providing nutritious options that are not normally available to shelters. “This effort has raised our awareness of the tremendous need that exists locally and has identified another way that Cornell can contribute to the health of our community,” Pritts said. Although Prof. Robin Bellinder, horticulture, began the donation effort in the late 1990s, it was not until 2004 that the Freeville farm joined the efforts of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. Within its first year the farm donated more than 50 tons of produce to the food bank, earning the “Donor of the Year” award. Yet the farm was able to surpass last year’s donations, and hopes to continue to do so in the future. Steven P. McKay, manager of the Freeville farm, says this year’s success was because of better organization and more cooperation from researchers at the farm. In fact, this year 13 faculty members from six departments contributed to the program. In addition, rather than delivering the produce to individual organizations such as schools, churches and fire departments, Homer C. Thompson began a program in which the produce is placed into special bins and then picked up by the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. After the vegetables have been picked up, the food bank distributes them to local food pantries. “This has increased our efficiency tremendously, and helps a greater number of people in the long run,” Pritts said. Besty Ingall, research technician for the horticulture department, believes that the truck pick-up system not only helped organization but also unified the team of researchers. “It’s a good way for us get together and do community service on the job,” Ingall said. “When we know the truck is coming, everyone has a lot of things that need to be packed up so we all get together. I think our whole department is enjoying donating food to folks.” Ultimately, from January to September this year, the food bank was able to feed 22,565 households, equaling approximately 1,900 households per month.Archived article by Blair RobinSun Staff Writer